Mentoring your way to success

We often think of mentoring as something work related. Some companies have launched mentoring programmes where they announce the mentor and mentee pairings for the year’s course of the programme. The mentors are often from various senior leadership roles while the mentees are often at a managerial level and have shown high potential and a strong interest in developing their leadership skills.

How many of us have been lucky enough in our lives that we can identify someone we’d call a mentor? Someone who taught us how things work and helped us navigate through the difficulties we face trying to establish ourselves either within the work environment or outside of it. Often the mentor is our manager, but what opportunities can be found outside of the workforce?

And what should we look for in a mentor or mentee? A good mentor is someone who is knowledgeable, understanding, patient and possesses the attributes of a good trainer with excellent communication skills. A good mentee is someone who is eager to learn, a team player, patient with a positive attitude. Mentoring is a powerful way for us to improve our performance. It’s often as rewarding for the mentors as it is for the mentees they are supporting, and the results are extremely encouraging when they have been well matched.

When you join Picnic Point Toastmasters you are assigned a mentor who will guide and support you through the Toastmasters program. Mentoring is a mutually beneficial experience, our mentors greatly value the relationships they have with their mentees.

Here are a few things to consider when you are assigned a mentor:

• Being a mentee is not a passive role, you get what you put in. Define your goals and objectives, consider what you want to get out of the relationship. Let your mentor know how they can help you achieve your communication and leadership goals.
• You will benefit from the insights gained through years of experience – without having to spend years of trial and error. Listen to feedback, ask questions, practice and demonstrate what you have learned. You decide on the amount of help and guidance you need and you should take the initiative to ask for help or advice and to tackle more challenging assignments.
• Use active listening skills during discussions with your mentor. Be careful not to interrupt, unless you need to clarify a point and you see no other opportunity or pause. Take notes when appropriate, ask good questions and have a purpose for your questions.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin:  “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

We can provide you with the relevant experience, help you think through your communication and leadership goals by asking smart questions and give objective feedback and insight. Through patience and perseverance we will help you accomplish your specific goals.

If you are looking to improve your communication and leadership skills with the help of a mentor, then it’s time you contacted Picnic Point Toastmasters at Club Picnic Point – 124 Lambeth Street, Panania. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7pm.  Our mentors look forward to helping you achieve your communication and leadership goals.

Leadership Style

You can tell much about a person by the way they behave in familiar surroundings.  Likewise, a leader reveals their true persona when they address their followers. When communicating with others, is delivery smooth? Or full of awkward pauses? Were they articulate? Did they use vocal variety? Or was their voice monotonic? Did you notice any irritating hand gesturing? Was the the delivery flashy, grand and elaborately planned, but lacking in substance, betraying a lack of preparation?

We look to our leaders to engage, inspire and learn from. How do they deliver feedback — particularly feedback on improving? Many leaders find delivering feedback and coaching difficult. But when an employee or a team is not performing to expectations, emotions often run high. The performance conversation is a scary scenario, even for experienced managers. No one wants to be the bad guy. Yet structuring feedback can be an opportunity to provide employees with a list of ways to improve, rather than a litany of failures.

Here are some ideas for delivering effective, constructive feedback on how to improve:

1. Prepare for the best and the worst. To gain a well-rounded understanding of an employee’s performance and uncover the root causes of performance issues, a leader will review previous appraisals and collect feedback from colleagues.

2. Ask for their assessment. Asking your employee some key questions before going into your list of observations.

3. What are their strengths and weaknesses? Be sure to mention both, using the “sandwich method of giving feedback” (praise followed by corrective feedback followed by more praise).  When outlining issues, consider using descriptive, results-oriented examples. This approach will help to motivate your poor performer to improve.

4. Always consider their emotions – be empathetic whilst providing feedback.

5. Use open dialogue to define next steps. Use SMART goals to create better outcomes.

As a champion of accountability use your visionary leadership on important issues to develop and empower your staff.  Leadership is an opportunity to bring about a significant improvement in team performance to increase oversight and transparency throughout the organization.

At Picnic Point Toastmasters leadership skills are an important aspect of the program.  We use the sandwich method when providing feedback  and ensure all communication involves listening and being open to suggestions and feedback. We build confidence in  our members,  provide rewards and recognition,  and build relationships through trust.

Are you looking to improve your leadership skills?  There’s no time like the present! Visit Picnic Point Toastmasters at Club Picnic Point – 124 Lambeth Street, Panania.  We meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7pm.  We look forward to helping you realise your leadership goals.

Public Speaking – A Not So Scary Proposition

It’s 9 a.m. in the conference room, the staff and management are all ears, waiting for the presentation to begin…… you have spent all week on it, perfecting the slides, perfecting your notes, perfecting your delivery…. and then it hits you.  It’s daunting, it’s scary — and you want to run and hide, but you can’t…

What if you could turn this scenario from pure panic into primed and pumped?  And all it takes is 2 hours twice a month with some friendly supportive people who have been where you are right now?  Picnic Point Toastmasters meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month helping people just like you to overcome their public speaking fear.  The schedule includes impromptu speeches by randomly selected members, prepared speeches and evaluations that cover everything from grammar, body language and timing.

The valuable insights you will discover can be applied to any group situation like a work presentation, or a celebration speech, even dealing with the public.  It’s a transferable skill that builds confidence when speaking to people, either one on one or in groups.  You will hear other club members speak and gain a wealth of knowledge from every club member as they all bring something different to the club. It’s a great place to learn and grow as you will be supported every step of the way.

Being afraid of public speaking is quite common, yet you can learn to love public presentations.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Practice your speaking techniques as often as possible to help build confidence
• Focus on your audience and not on your own performance
• Your fear is coming from within your own mind creating unnecessary anxiety
• Be yourself when you speak, your perspective is unique
• Be confident that you have something important to say, there’s an audience looking for your insight
• Always try to get a good night’s sleep before you have to do your presentation

Ready to face your fear and kick that presentation goal out of the park? Then it’s time to visit Picnic Point Toastmasters at Club Picnic Point – 124 Lambeth Street, Panania……. 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 7pm.  See you then!

Inspiring Others

What inspires action or positive change? How many blogs/articles have you read that talked about something that inspired you? How many speakers have you heard or listened to that inspired you to take action? Inspiring others is something many of us dream of…. yet we are unsure of how to go about it.

What about you? Do you want to positively impact the lives of others? If you answered yes, then consider the way you carry yourself and interact with others. There are a number of ways you can inspire others, consider what is near and dear to your heart. What do you stand for? How do take a stand for what you believe in? People will follow you, if they know that your convictions inspire you to stand for something…. and isn’t this what we see in leaders we admire?

Believing in others, encouraging them to be the best they can be and challenging them to raise the bar and go beyond what’s easy and comfortable is the mark of an inspirational leader. As mentors we encourage others to try new things, confront their fears and focus on their goals. This creates belief in themselves, particularly when you show them that you care about them.

As a member of Picnic Point Toastmasters you are appointed a mentor who will guide and support you. Helping you to achieve your goals, explore new options when they present themselves, share in your struggles and help you overcome them. We inspire our members by practising integrity and demonstrating that we are here to support you every step of the way in your Toastmasters journey.

Are you interested in being an inspirational leader? Looking to create a sense of direction and purpose for yourself and others? Excited by the idea of change? American novelist Jack London stated that “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club”. So if you are looking for inspiration then it’s time you visited Picnic Point Toastmasters at Club Picnic Point – 124 Lambeth Street, Panania. We meet every 1st and 3rd Tuesday 7pm. We look forward to inspiring you!